


chemistry from your company

by The_Eclectic_Bookworm



Series: lucky you’re the one i love [14]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25627135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm
Summary: All things considered, Buffy had kind of been expecting some good old-fashioned Ripper-and-Jenny shenanigans ever since Ripper offered upWretchedas a potential band for Sunnydale High’s senior prom.
Relationships: Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers, Jenny Calendar/Rupert Giles, Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg
Series: lucky you’re the one i love [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1076166
Comments: 17
Kudos: 26





	chemistry from your company

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JackalopingIntoTheVoid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackalopingIntoTheVoid/gifts).



> for jack! always, always, always.
> 
> title taken from panic! at the disco's _collar full,_ which is also the song that ripper and jenny dance to.

All things considered, Buffy had kind of been expecting some good old-fashioned Ripper-and-Jenny shenanigans ever since Ripper offered up _Wretched_ as a potential band for Sunnydale High’s senior prom. She’d told him—honestly—that she’d pitch the idea to Cordelia (which she did), and that Cordelia would say no (which she did), but that Ripper’s offer was absolutely very much appreciated (which it was). She hadn’t been surprised when Ripper’s face fell—she knew he’d really wanted in on their senior prom, even if he was refusing to admit it—but she _had_ been a little surprised to see that _Jenny_ looked somewhat crestfallen, and had filed that reaction away as a reason to keep an eye on things during prom night. Ripper and Jenny had something of a habit of crashing parties that they weren’t invited to.

Faith, of course, had a similar habit. Luckily, _this_ party was one that she had a legitimate reason to be at—and even though she was a junior, Buffy’s prom-posal had allowed her to gate-crash in a way that was _totally_ above-board. “This place is _snazzy,”_ she observed, lacing her fingers with Buffy’s in an overly casual way that _almost_ hid the pink to her cheeks. “Do they dress up the gym like this every year?”

“You should’ve seen Jenny’s prom,” Buffy replied, squeezing Faith’s hand without _any_ attempts at making it look casual. Faith beamed. “It was some totally funky theme with lots of streamers and glitter. Was it—Will, was it something to do with mermaids?”

 _“Under the Sea,”_ said Willow helpfully, adjusting Tara’s corsage. Tara giggled a little and adjusted Willow’s corsage right back. “Have you seen Xander?”

“Isn’t he with Cordelia?”

Willow pulled a face. “Oh, _ugh._ I think my brain just couldn’t accept that reality.”

“Y’know, I _still_ don’t understand how that happened,” Faith commented, falling into step with Buffy as they continued towards the dance floor (and waving goodbye over her shoulder to Willow and Tara). “Xander and _Cordelia?_ That chick totally fuckin’ sucks.”

“She’s not _too_ bad,” said Buffy.

Faith pulled a face not unlike Willow’s. “She still doesn’t have _me_ sold.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not an easy sell,” Buffy pointed out. “Unless it’s Jenny, ‘cause it’s apparently some kind of lesbian rite of passage to have a huge crush on Jenny for the first three months of knowing her.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Faith agreed. “Jenny’s _smokin’_ hot.”

Buffy snickered, pulling Faith towards an empty spot on the dance floor. Faith fell into step with her easily, following Buffy’s movements with that sexy-as-hell Slayer agility. “Should I be jealous?” Buffy asked, entirely joking.

“As _if.”_ Faith twirled Buffy, her smile widening as Buffy’s hair spun out along with her dress. “You know you’re the _only_ gal for me, B.”

“Damn straight.”

“Damn _gay.”_

“Jesus Christ, you two are nauseating,” Ripper observed from next to them, startling Buffy so thoroughly that her heel slipped on the gym floor. Moving just as quickly as Buffy stumbled, Faith steadied her with a hand at the small of her back. “You know no one goes to prom for the _banter,_ yeah?”

“Wow,” said Jenny, who appeared to be eating chips directly from her tiny purse. “They really glitzed this place up, huh? All _my_ class got was freaky mermaid decorations that I’m still pretty convinced were haunted. Like. What the fuck.”

“It’s oppression,” Ripper agreed wisely, squeezing Jenny’s shoulder.

 _“What_ are you guys doing here,” said Buffy, more resigned than surprised. “Who even bought you tickets?”

With her free hand, Jenny beckoned Buffy over. When Buffy leaned in, she whispered, “Okay, _don’t_ tell anyone, but I _totally_ know some of the kids who go here.”

“You are literally the worst,” said Buffy, shoving Jenny playfully away and grinning a little at her responding laugh. “Seriously, though. Why—wait, Ripper, are you wearing a _tux?”_

Ripper blinked. Slowly, as if he himself wasn’t quite sure, he looked down at his deep blue tuxedo, then over at Jenny’s long, sparkly blue dress. Looking back towards Buffy, he said very slowly, “Is this not senior prom?”

“I think what Buffy’s trying to say is that we’re a little too senior for _this_ prom,” Jenny pointed out.

“Oh, _c’mon,_ Janna. Twenty-one isn’t _senior.”_

 _“You’re_ not twenty-one—”

“And twenty-three _is_ senior?” Ripper countered, twining his arms around Jenny’s waist. Jenny tilted her head back, giving him an open-mouthed grin. 

“Okay, we’re gonna be here all night if we wait for them to answer us,” Faith pointed out, tugging impatiently on Buffy’s hand. “We gonna dance or what?”

“Oooh, yeah, let’s dance!” said Jenny eagerly, yanking herself free from Ripper’s arms to pull him towards a more crowded section of the dance floor. Over her shoulder, she shouted, “Have fun, kids!”

 _“Kids,”_ scoffed Buffy. “Just ‘cause she’s in college now—”

“So why _do_ you think they’re here?” Faith asked suddenly, watching Ripper and Jenny weave their way through the crowds with a small smile on her face. “Not that it’s not great to see them, but Jen seems like she’s a little too old for the high school shit.”

“Yeah, the day Jenny Calendar grows up is the day the entire Hellmouth really _does_ eat us,” said Buffy, who was grinning a little herself. “C’mon, lover-girl. Let’s cut a rug. We’ve got plenty of time to ask them later, right?”

“Hell yeah.”

 _“Hell_ yeah.” Buffy draped her arms around Faith’s neck, beaming at her girlfriend as the next song started.

* * *

“Oh, I _love_ this song!” said Jenny, smiling so brightly that Ripper felt sure she outshone the disco ball shimmering down on the gym. “Brendon Urie fucking _slaps._ You’d better start dancing with me before I start singing literally right now.”

“No way am I dancing _now,”_ said Ripper, returning Jenny’s grin. “Could count you singing right now as an audition. The fellas have been saying they want another girl in _Wretched,_ and Elaine already thinks you’re fit—”

“Don’t use weird esoteric British slang to describe me. I’m totally gonna break up with you.” Jenny twined her fingers with Ripper’s, tugging on his arm until he began to dance with her. “And for the record? Elaine’s _totally_ hot too. Tell her that there’s definitely some alternate timeline where she and I had the epic pining love story of a lifetime.”

“Elaine’s not one for the pining,” Ripper pointed out. “She’d probably have just told you you’re fit and gone from there.”

“Wow, someone who has a totally obvious thing for me actually directly telling me how they feel? Now _that’s_ unrealistic.”

“You’re so fucking obnoxious.”

Jenny laughed—that sweet little snort-laugh that made Ripper’s smile soften without his permission—and slid her hands up his chest, lightly gripping his lapels. “You love it.”

The song was beginning to pick up, bright and happy in a way that really _did_ fucking slap. _Oh, show me your love, your love, give me more but it’s not enough—_

“Glad we get a redo,” said Ripper, tugging Jenny fully into his arms. “Especially considering—”

“Oh my god, get _off_ me! You’re restricting my movement!” Jenny pulled away with a dramatic huff, but she didn’t let go of his hand as she continued to dance.

“Christ, Janna!” Ripper was unable to hold back his own laughter. “This is supposed to be our romantic senior prom, remember?”

“Rupert? _Nothing_ is gonna be more romantic than me finally getting to cut a rug. Do you know how much slow swaying I had to do at our senior prom thanks to you and your stupid pretty eyes?” Jenny let go of his hand, then, twirling out in a way that let the skirt of her dress flare out. Her braid flew out as well, the glittery stars she’d nestled in her hair sparkling under the overhead lights.

_You’ve got a pocketful of reasons why you’re here tonight—_

“God, you’re beautiful,” said Ripper. Jenny stretched out her hand, wiggling her fingers, and he took it, letting her yank him back towards her. He closed his eyes, following her lead, following the beat, feeling the laughter and the movement and the _warmth_ suffusing the Sunnydale High gymnasium. There couldn’t _not_ be joy in a place so bloodied by war, not when there were moments like this—moments where the collective student body got to pretend that they were all just normal teenagers living normal lives. Buffy and Faith were sharing a dance, he was sure, and Willow and Tara, and Xander and Cordelia, and—

“You’re gonna trip over your own feet if you keep dancing with your eyes closed,” came Jenny’s insistent voice from next to him, her grip tightening pointedly on his hand.

“Nah,” said Ripper, but opened his eyes anyway, smiling softly when he saw the annoyed expression on Jenny’s face. “Got you to keep me on the straight and narrow, haven’t I?”

“You are such a fucking sap,” said Jenny, and reached for his lapels again, pulling him in for a quick, tender kiss. “Literally. Genuinely so disgusting.”

“Hm,” said Ripper, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Jenny’s ear. “I love you.”

“I _know._ You’ve written _songs.”_ At Ripper’s raised eyebrow, Jenny laughed, her own expression softening. “I love you too, dummy. C’mere.”

As the music swelled again, Ripper let Jenny draw him into her arms, both of them swaying quietly to the beat until the song finally drew to a close. “That enough Brendon Urie for you?” he inquired. “Can always make another request.”

 _“Anoth—_ Rupert, you never even _went_ here!”

“So?” Ripper grinned. “Didn’t stop them from playing my song, did it?”

“Oh my fucking god,” said Jenny, tipping her head forward and onto his shoulder as she began to laugh again.

* * *

“Did you guys _see_ Ripper and Jenny?” said Xander, plopping himself down next to Buffy and Faith.

Buffy and Faith, who had been covertly making out at the table farthest away from the dance floor, pulled slowly away from each other to look incredulously over at Xander. “Were they, oh, I don’t know, having a _romantic moment?”_ said Buffy. “That you maybe _interrupted?”_

“Oh, please, I’d never interrupt a romantic moment,” said Xander, waving a hand. (Buffy and Faith exchanged a look.) “Especially not _this_ one. Pretty sure they weren’t together for _Jenny’s_ senior prom, right? Even though they both wanted to be or something?”

“Please don’t ask me about Ripper and Jenny’s weird relationship timeline,” said Buffy. “I was _so_ not keeping track.”

“Oh, _shit,”_ said Faith suddenly. “You think _that’s_ why they’re here?”

“What?”

Faith turned to Buffy with a significant grin. _“That.”_

“Okay, thanks, sweetie. That clarifies absolutely nothing.”

“No, I think I get it,” said Xander, who had a similar smile on his face. “Ripper and Jenny _weren’t_ together at senior prom last time they went—but they’ve got a reason to go to _this_ one, ‘cause _we’re_ all here. Which means that they finally get to be all dumb and gross and couple-y like they wanted to at _Jenny’s_ senior prom.”

“Couldn’t they have just crashed last year’s prom?” Buffy pointed out. “That one was _way_ cuter. I think it was 1920s-themed and everyone wore little flapper dresses.” She considered. “Come to think of it, _I_ would have crashed last year’s prom with Jenny. _God,_ Ripper totally sucks for poaching my favorite person to crash parties with.”

 _“Hey!”_ Faith objected.

Buffy gave Faith a consoling kiss on the cheek. “Honey bunny, I adore you, but you have _no idea_ how hilarious it is to see Jenny try and steal an entire bowl of punch.”

“Seconded,” said Ripper, winding his way towards them. Jenny’s arm was tucked into his, and they both looked a little flushed from all the dancing they’d clearly been doing. “How’s prom treating you kids?”

“Xander interrupted our makeout session,” said Buffy. “Where’s _your_ date, Xander?”

“…oh, _shit,”_ said Xander, and jumped up, sprinting back into the fray.

“I love him,” said Jenny, slumping down into the seat that Xander had vacated. “Just entirely misplaced his date. Iconic.”

“Oh my _god,”_ said Buffy. _“Leave._ I wanna smooch Faith and I am _not_ doing that with two _legal adults_ watching.”

 _“You’re_ a legal adult,” Ripper pointed out somewhat petulantly.

“Rupert?” said Jenny, looking a little amused. “Do you _actually_ want to watch Buffy and Faith kiss, or are you just pointing out technicalities to start shit?”

“Wait, is _that_ what I’m arguing for? _Jesus Christ,”_ said Ripper, looking viscerally horrified. Grabbing a laughing Jenny’s hand, he towed her away, hurrying them both towards the snack table. “KISS ALL YOU LIKE!” he yelled over his shoulder, sending Jenny into a second round of giggles.

 _“So_ fucking dumb,” said Buffy lovingly. “Honestly, it’s probably a miracle that they ever even got together.”

“Yeah, you know that could apply to us too, right?” Faith pointed out. “One time I tried to ask you out for a Slurpee at 7-11 and you were so freaked about being alone with a chick you dug that you said that you had _basketball practice.”_

“Okay, one, you _believed me_ when I said that,” Buffy countered. “Two, I was _reasonably nervous_ about spending platonic time with a girl I had a _crush on!”_

“It was a _Slurpee date,_ B! How are Slurpees platonic?”

“Wow, I _really_ don’t know what I’m walking in on,” said Tara with amusement, sitting down next to them.

Seeing that there were no chairs left at the table, Willow nodded to herself, then settled comfortably on Tara’s lap. “Hi, baby!” she said happily, pressing a kiss to a glowing Tara’s cheek.

“Oh, _ech,”_ said Faith. “You two are so sweet I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get diabetes.”

“Pretty sure Buffy called you _honey bunny_ a few minutes ago,” said Tara mildly.

Faith turned _bright_ red as Buffy burst into a giggle fit. “That’s—you—how did you even— _stop fuckin’ laughing, B!”_

“So there’s _no_ kissing going on,” Jenny observed, dumping an unholy amount of snacks down onto the table. “Just a whole bunch of friendly banter between lesbians, huh?”

“Bi,” said Buffy, raising her hand.

“Bi- _five,”_ said Jenny, slapping Buffy’s palm.

“You two are a plague,” said Ripper. Assessing the chair situation, he proceeded to take half the snacks from the table, sit down on the floor by Buffy’s feet, and open a pack of gummy fruit. “Oh, fuck, are these _tropical?”_

“I’ll take the tropical fruits!” Now tugging a resigned Cordelia behind him, Xander gratefully caught the gummy fruit pack Ripper threw him. Unfortunately, given that Ripper had already _opened_ the pack, half the fruits ended up flying in every possible direction—and _one_ of them ended up in Cordelia’s hair. “Oh _shit,_ Cordy, I’m _so_ sorry—”

“HGHGHG,” said Cordelia, picking the pineapple-shaped gummy out of her updo with exasperated precision. “You are LUCKY you’re KIND OF OKAY-LOOKING.”

“Oh, wow,” said Jenny, visibly amused, and sat down next to Ripper. “Xander, I think she’s seriously into you.”

“Why the hell are _you_ here?” Cordelia demanded. “You know that _I’m_ student council president now, right? Are you _seriously_ trying to relive your lame glory days by crashing somebody else’s senior prom?”

Jenny seemed to seriously consider the question. Finally, she said, “I don’t think I want to _relive_ my senior prom—it’s more that I want to do it _over._ Do a few things better.” Her smile quirked up, her eyes darting briefly to Ripper. “Maybe do a few things I wasn’t able to do before.”

 _“Gross,”_ said Cordelia. “We _get_ it. You and Grunge Man over there are a thing and you’re clearly gonna duck out after this and have sex in his car. _Seriously_ questionable, especially considering that you’re a total catch and he’s—well—in a _band—”_

“Cordy, you could at least _try_ and be nice to my friends,” Xander cut in.

“I _am_ trying!” Cordelia countered. “This is me trying! I’m asking questions and offering helpful observations!”

“That is…actually kinda factual,” observed Willow with a surprised frown. “Though I don’t really know about the _helpful_ part.”

Jenny and Ripper had turned toward each other again, smiling softly, knees touching on the floor. Ripper reached up to dislodge a gummy fruit from Jenny’s hair, letting his hand linger, and her smile widened as she tipped her head towards him, saying something that Buffy couldn’t really hear.

“Y’know, I get why Jenny would want to do this again,” said Faith, letting her head fall onto Buffy’s shoulder. “This shit is kinda dope.” After a moment of consideration, she asked shyly, “You’re gonna come with me to _my_ senior prom, B, right?”

Buffy blinked, her cheeks heating up. “But that’s…next year.”

Faith smiled. “Yep.”

“You’re…asking me on a date _next year?”_

“Yep?”

“But what if you don’t—”

“Not gonna happen.”

“No, Faith, what if we’re not—”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Just let me finish—”

“You don’t need to,” said Faith. _“Not. Gonna. Happen.”_

“I’d listen to her,” advised Ripper from the floor, tilting his head up to grin at Buffy. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in Sunnydale, ‘s that the persistently hot brunette is pretty much _always_ right.”

“Okay, I _want_ to take that as a compliment, but there’s like a fifty-fifty chance he’s talking about himself,” said Jenny, snuggling into Ripper’s side.

“What— _fuck’s sake,_ Janna, I try and say something _romantic_ and then you just—”

Giggling, Buffy tugged Faith’s face up to hers. The song on was a fast one, bouncy and warm in the kind of way that would make your heart pick up if you were dancing to it—but that was _nothing_ compared to the way Buffy’s heart skipped a beat when her lips met Faith’s again.

**Author's Note:**

> (if you're curious as to why tara's here....i have an idea in the works. i hope i will come back to it at some point.)


End file.
